Next Door (2)

Pt. 3 “Being Neighborly...Without Ceasing”

Welcome Church

Tell story of bluetooth commercials, video of man playing tricks on people with bluetooth

I would never fall for that...

tell story of falling for that

read 1 Thess 5.16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

break this down in relation to the bluetooth fiasco

I can see the people of Thessalonica wide eyed wondering what Paul meant by never stop praying....

explain this ^

As your pastor as the pastor of sovereign heights rest assured I will never encourage you to do anything outside of scripture in relation to our walk in christ…furthermore i will tell you the Holy spirit will never lead you or urge you to do anything outside of scripture

give examples....

so if you come to me next week saying alright pastor I felt the spirit leading me urging me to quite my job so I can pray without ceasing I would tell you good luck....because thats not scriptural and therefore the spirit did not urge you to do that...

this is not what Paul means here...

break this down....

we must pray without ceasing = having a consistent prayer life praying to God in every moment....

i have found myself praying in the middle of shopping, probably looking like the bluetooth guy....

tell story of saxophonist Kenny G who learned circular breathing, the art of breathing through your nose, holding some air in your cheeks to blow into the instrument = was able to break Guinness world record of a constant note of 45 min...

take a break to talk about how this relates to our series of being neighborly....

read Luke 11.5-8

Luke 11:5–13 ESV

And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

you see church this whole time we have been talking about how we are to be neighborly…today we get to see how christ wants to be neighborly in our lives = jesus has not forgotten his disciples...

like that movie…scene replays and shows how christ was “feeding” his disciples in all this and yet now he shows us how he can and wants to provide for us through persistent and constant prayer.....

explain this passage = three simple verbs, three simple tasks....

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK....

all this revolves around prayer, a persistent and consistent prayer life....

prayer is not a blank check, a magical wand we get to use to get God to grant us whatever we want

having a consistent prayer life draws us near to God causes us to fall in love with him more and more

when that happens something amazing happens, our wants dreams and desires morph into Gods wants and desires

Preach with Gods Help

It is all together when we draw near to God we fall more in love with him which causes us to want to be with him in prayer....

being with him in prayer leads us wanting to know more about him and we find that in the word of God

and when we know the word of God we know if it truly is the Spirit leading us....

God wants to provide our every need so bring him your every need through constant, consistent, and persistent prayer

remember the story of Kenny G and circular breathing

prayer for a child of God should be like breathing, something we do all the time, breathing in the spirit of God breathing out a prayer to God

here is some encouragement church

For those of us who need a little assurance of our faith:

Let’s ‘breathe in’ from Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Let’s ‘breathe out’ a prayer of thanksgiving. ‘We are so grateful that you died for us—rising again on your own new morning—so that every day could be filled with the wonder of your love, the freedom of your Spirit, and the joy of knowing You. Amen.

Or if today you find that you are in need of the assurance of God’s presence:

Let’s ‘breathe in’ Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength a very present help in times of trouble.”

And ‘breathe out’ a prayer of trust. (Pray as led).

If today you find that you are in need of comfort in loss:

Let’s ‘breathe in’ Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.”

And breathe out a prayer: ‘Dear Lord, please help us in this time of loss and grief. We don’t understand why You’ve allowed this heartache in our lives. But we turn to You for comfort. We seek your loving and reassuring presence. Please, dear Lord, be our strong fortress, our shelter in this storm. Give us the strength to seek You, to trust in Your unfailing love and faithfulness. Help us find a path of healing through the pain so that we will put our full hope in You.

Or if today you find that yourself in worry and in need of peace:

Let’s ‘breathe in’ Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s ‘breathe out’ prayers that reflect our needs (pray as led for your needs)

Or if today you find that you are in need of some direction:

Let’s ‘breathe in’ Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”

And ‘breathe out’ a prayer, ‘Lord, here we are today with open hands and heart, ready to depend on You to help us through the day and all it will bring our way. As we face tough choices and hard situations, help us remember we are Your children and Your representatives to the world around us. Help us live today in a way that brings honor to Your holy name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Finally, today, if you find that you are in need for a chance to start over. Anyone here ever wish you could start over? Well, you can right now.

Let’s breathe in Lamentations 3:21-22 ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness.

And breathe out ‘Good morning, Lord! Today’s a new day, a chance for a new start. Yesterday is gone, and with it, any regrets, mistakes, or failures we may have experienced. It’s a good day to be glad and give thanks, and we do, Lord. Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, give, and be all that you want us to be. Feed us today with Your daily bread, Your very Word spoken to us. Help us to set our thoughts on things above and to speak only what will help and encourage others. Keep us from putting our foot in our mouth. Help us to treat each person we encounter as You would and have treated us; with respect and love, and forgiveness.

the importance of persistent and consistent prayer, Jesus encouraged his disciples, who wanted to be taught to pray (11:1), to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. Only through prayer can believers stay in contact with God, know what he wants them to do, and then have the strength to do God’s will in all areas of life.

The three words (ask, seek, knock) combine to emphasize the truth that those who bring their needs to God can trust that they will be satisfied.

Sometimes God does not answer Christians’ prayers immediately; sometimes they must keep on knocking, awaiting God’s answer. However, if we continue to trust God through prayer, Jesus promised that we will receive, find, and have an open door.

when God provides our needs it allows us to now go out and provide for others....being neighborly....

Pray

HOLY SPIRIT TAKE OVER.....